When you think of the US space program, spaceships and satellites may be the first thing that comes to mind, but there are plenty of mundane items that we take for granted that we have thanks to NASA and its contractors. Here are just a few examples of how NASA has improved life on Earth.

Cordless, battery-powered tools, invented by Black & Decker and NASA in the early 1960s. These researchers were crucial to building the lightweight drill that Apollo astronauts used on Moon.